Children to study computer programming and financial numeracy as new subjects added to school timetables

Oliver Smith is a senior reporter at The Memo, an online publication curious about the future of technology. He was formerly a reporter at City A.M.

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England will become the first G20 country to teach programming in the classroom

Thousands of children as young as five will return to school this week to find a new subject added to primary and secondary school timetables as the government introduces computer programming and financial numeracy.

England will become the first G20 country to teach programming in the classroom, a move that it is hoped will modernise the UK’s education system to better serve the needs of Britain’s burgeoning tech hubs.

Maths classes will also be overhauled, teaching children how to work out calculations such as annual percentage rates (APR) and credit card minimum repayments.

“Many more young people will now leave secondary education with a far stronger grounding in technology,” said Tech City UK chief executive Gerard Grech.

David Richards, chief executive of software firm WANdisco, added that Britain previously had “a national curriculum out of synch with the needs of our technology and software companies”.